The Man
by clkane
Summary: Bass Monroe is living in New Vegas as Jimmy King...thinking he has everyone fooled with his alias, he doesn't realize that Charlie Matheson is in New Vegas and watching his every move
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Killers' song "The Man," or the television series Revolution, etc.

SUMMARY: Bass Monroe is still living in New Vegas as Jimmy King. He thinks he has everyone fooled with his alias, but he doesn't realize that Charlie Matheson is also in New Vegas and watching his every move...

 _I know the score like the back of my hand_  
 _Them other boys, I don't give a damn_  
 _They kiss on the ring, I carry the crown_

Chapter 1

Bass Monroe walked out of the tent after being announced as the victor in his latest round. Gould caught up to him throwing a towel on Bass' shoulder. "My cash cow! -nice fight, Jimmy."

Bass continued walking back through the dark and dusty night to his trailer, not even making eye contact with Gould. "...you could at least try to make it challenging every once and a while, Gould. That fight was a joke."

Gould slapped Bass heartily on the shoulder, "What can I say? I am running out of people willing to withstand a fight with Jimmy King...you nearly killed Ward last week."

"You always want it to look convincing, right?"

"Hey, I am not complaining...every one of your fights rakes in two hundred diamonds between admission and bets-

"-What the hell, Gould?!" Bass turned on him quickly, this statement getting his attention. Gould realized then that he had said too much.

"You get that much and I only get forty diamonds? It looks like I am going to have to increase my fee," Bass glared at him.

"We'll talk about it," Gould said, cutting the conversation short when he spotted the girl standing at the door of Bass' trailer. "It looks like there is someone waiting for you."

Bass shrugged and walked toward the girl.

She was in her early to mid twenties (if Bass had to guess, which he didn't really care enough to delve too much into the thought of it) and was wearing a tight t-shirt with an exposed midriff and extremely short and tight black skirt.

She smiled sultrily at Bass but he barely noticed as he walked past her to open the door to his trailer.

"How was the fight?" she asked casually, already knowing the answer. Every fight was the same- Jimmy King never lost.

"I am not paying you to talk," Bass said, as she walked through the threshold of the trailer and he kicked the door shut behind her.

About 20 yards away, eyes of blue steel were fixed on the door on the trailer. _Of course he wouldn't be alone after a fight_ , she thought.

 _Just have to bide my time_...

 **The Next Morning**

Bass rolled over and closed his eyes again, trying to will his headache to go away. His almost nightly routine consisted of three shots of whiskey, a fight, and an "encounter" with one of Gould's girls, of his choosing... If he hadn't been jaded to life prior to New Vegas, he most certainly was now.

Bass sat up and rubbed his eyes. It didn't feel too late in the day yet, although he had not gone to sleep until almost sunrise. The girl from last night was putting on her high heels and caught his eye. She winked at him as he sat there, watching her.

"Good luck tonight," she said, pocketing the money he placed on the table for her, and letting herself out of the trailer without another word. These sorts of encounters didn't exactly invite a full night "sleep-over," but Bass paid extra for this- he noticed that the only time he wasn't plagued with nightmares was when someone else was there...he was getting pretty good at never being alone.

He dressed quickly and headed down to the food tent (one of the perks of working for Gould was that his trailer and food were all paid for as long as he kept fighting and bringing in the diamonds...the girls were extra)

So began Bass' regular routine for the day. After breakfast, he would do some practice rounds with another of Gould's fighters. Then he would place some bets at the tables, drinking his whiskey, chatting with a few of the people in the tent and flirting his way through the girls (if he was being honest, Bass would never really have to pay for attention from women, but he chose to pursue that route rather than dealing with complicated emotional entanglements- he had learned his lesson with Duncan).

Charlie had set up camp a few yards back into the woods and had spent most of her time tailing Monroe and learning his routine. She was waiting for the right moment to catch him with his guard down, preferably alone...Charlie didn't want to kill a witness unless she had to...although she was starting to think it might be necessary. Charlie had been there for three days, but she had yet to find a moment when he was actually alone...

As the sun set, people started gathering in the tent to watch the first of four fights. Bass' fight was always the final fight of the night as it was the headliner. Charlie stood back in the tent, watching Bass flirting with a petite blonde at the black jack table.

"Hey sweetheart," a voice from behind Charlie piped up as she turned to face him. She gave him a quizzical look.

"You here for the fight?" a short man, who looked to be about Charlie's age with curly dark hair, spoke when she turned to look at him.

"Isn't everybody?" Charlie asked as the man smirked.

"Yeah, he's pretty popular," the man replied. "...brings in a crowd every night."

Charlie half smiled, turning her head to the side, "Do you know him?"

"I might know Jimmy," the man's smile turned into a grin. "...for a price."

Charlie raised her eyebrows and put several diamonds in the outstretched hand of the man.

"Jimmy- that's his name?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah - that's him...well, it looks like he is kind of busy right now- I will set up a little 'meet and greet' after his fight," the man replied and Charlie's eyes followed the line of vision to see Monroe sitting in a corner with the blonde on his lap.

Across the room

Bass was growing tired of the giggling blonde on his lap. He was taking a swig of his drink and pretending to listen to something she said.

"Hey, it is time for me to go get ready," he said making a motion for her to stand up.

"Look for me after?" the blonde smiled at him.

Bass only nodded and stepped past her when he was completely caught off guard- it was true, he had no peripheral vision in his left eye, so he had to fully turn to make sure he hadn't completely imagined who he thought was standing in the tent next to Teddy, the resident bookee.

By that time, she was gone-

The night passed on in a haze with Bass/Jimmy King effortlessly winning yet another fight amid the cheers of the bystanders.

Charlie watched him walk out of the tent and waited for a few moments. She wanted to give him time to get back to his trailer so Teddy (she had later learned his name) could set up their "meet and greet," which would consist of Charlie, Monroe, and her crossbow...

Just as she rounded the corner behind the tent, heading to the back of the trailers, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her behind a trailer.

"Hello, Charlotte."


	2. Chapter 2

_Nothing can break, nothing can break me down_  
 _Don't need no advice, I got a plan_  
 _I know the direction, the lay of the land_  
 _I know the score like the back of my hand_

"Hello, Charlotte."

Charlie looked up to meet eyes with Sebastian Monroe, angry that her presence had been discovered.

"Have you been tailing me?" Bass asked letting go of her arm as she shook away from him.

"What makes you say that?" Charlie asked, defiantly.

Bass shrugged, "This doesn't really seem like your kind of place..."

"...and you would know that how?" Charlie asked, raising her chin to try and appear on an even level with him, despite the fact he was about 5 inches taller than she.

"I don't know- you just seem like this innocent kid," Bass smirked.

"Well, you don't know anything about me," Charlie stated wryly.

"Does Miles know you're here?" Bass asked, seeming amused.

"-What is this- are we playing 20 questions?" Charlie asked, getting impatient. She was really frustrated that she had completely lost the element of surprise.

Bass smirked again, "that means that Miles doesn't know you are here...I didn't think so."

Charlie rolled her eyes - things were REALLY not going according to plan now.

"Just one thing, if you were here trying to tail me so you could try to kill me, you shouldn't leave these tracks between my trailer and the tent...kind of a dead giveaway that I was being watched," Bass tried to hide the full-on grin as he gestured to the footprints.

Charlie shook her head- he was amused by this entire situation... _he really is crazy_. She hadn't exactly thought about her boot prints and the fact that he would or could be so observant of such tracks.

"Wow, and you just assume those are my footprints? What about the whores that are traipsing back and forth to your trailer?" Charlie said, immediately biting her lip and realizing she was confirming his suspicion that she had been watching him.

"I rest my case," Bass almost laughed. "Kid, the girls around here wear high heels and your boot prints are smaller than the average man's footprint- plus, when I spotted you in the tent earlier...it wasn't that hard to put two and two together...I have gotten pretty good at looking over my shoulder, waiting for someone to try to take me out-"

Charlie rolled her eyes again- this man was infuriating.

"I have about 20 years of experience on you- military and otherwise- so I would be really careful on my next move if I were you," Bass said, looking at her and noting she now had a grip on her crossbow.

"Were you always this arrogant?" Charlie asked, loosening her hold on the crossbow.

Bass had to laugh, "I have been accused of that and much worse..."

"Why is this funny? Are you really that delusional?" Charlie asked, shaking her head.

"Not that delusional...and it is funny because it really isn't all that surprising- after all, Miles tried to kill me, so it would make sense that his extended family wants to do the same," Bass replied, his smile slowly fading.

Charlie shook her head, "well, I think you are arrogant and delusional to assume that you are the reason I am even here..."

"Kid- you are a Matheson...I am sure you have many tactical skills in fighting and tracking...but lying is not one of those skills."

At that, Charlie started to walk away from him but Bass was faster than she was and grabbed her arm.

"Wait, where do you think you're going?" he asked quietly.

Charlie looked at him, "I'm leaving. I have a camp set up back in the woods."

"Oh, no..." Bass said, taking her arm again and guiding her further away from the edge of the woods. "You don't want to camp in there, trust me."

"Well, I have been there for a few days and things have been just fine- I can take care of myself," Charlie replied.

"I am sure you can, but the Bandits have been on a run outside of the Plains Nation. That is their territory and when they get back, trust me, you don't want to get caught setting up camp on their land..." Bass responded.

"Well, it is none of your concern so let go of my arm," Charlie said, pulling away from him again.

"Listen- you may hate me and want me dead...hell, I am sure Miles wants the same...but contrary to the monster you all think I am, I am not able to just sit back while you go back into the woods to be raped, murdered, or enslaved, alright?" Bass said, irritation in his voice becoming evident.

"Let. go. of. my. arm," Charlie said, through gritted teeth. She jerked away from him and started walking back through the clearing.

"Pain in the ass," Bass said as he watched her walk away, knowing full well he was going to have to follow her...


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm the man, come round_  
 _Nothing can break, nothing can break me down_  
 _I'm the man, come round and_  
 _Nothing can break, you can't break me down_

The night progressed exactly as Bass had predicted.

Charlie had been sitting by her campfire when she heard the group descending on her site.

"Well, what do we have here?" a surly man said with a grin as he walked through the trees, with a group of at least four other men following behind him.

Charlie pulled her knife quickly but the much bigger man had managed to grab her wrists. Another man grabbed her shoulders and was able to hold her in place.

At that moment, a figure as quick as lightning appeared from behind the trees, stabbing one man, then the other, and slitting the throats of two other men before Charlie was even fully aware of what had taken place.

Without a word, Bass walked away and back out toward the woods' edge and Gould's trailers.

Charlie followed Bass out of the woods.

"I get that you have been out on your own and think you have it all figured out, kid...but what would have happened back there if I hadn't been there to help you?" Bass asked, walking over to a barrel of water to clean his knife, knowing she was following him.

"I could have handled it," Charlie said, stepping up behind him.

"No, you couldn't have," Bass said sternly. "You were significantly outnumbered...they already had you in a hold you couldn't get out of- if I hadn't been there, you would be with those guys- if you weren't dead right about now, you would wish that you were...those people are ruthless..."

"I suppose it takes one to know one," Charlie said.

"I think the words you are looking for are, 'Thank you,'" Bass said, turning to look at her.

Charlie was silent for a moment.

"I am guessing Miles is with your mom, am I right?" Bass asked, changing the subject.

Charlie only shrugged, not about to tell Monroe where Miles and Rachel were now living.

"Do me a favor, just go back to them...you're out of your league with this place," Bass said in a dismissive tone.

"Screw you, Monroe," Charlie said. "I am not a child- there was a reason I went out on my own and I can take care of myself."

"Yes, as you so clearly just demonstrated," Bass said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He looked at her for a second and just shook his head.

"I am going back to my trailer- just don't go back into those woods," Bass said over his shoulder.

Charlie lifted her crossbow, preparing to take the shot she had been waiting for when his back was turned- but at that moment, after he had saved her from those Bandits, she just couldn't find the will to finish what she started.

 **The Next Day**

Charlie was sitting at one of the tables, placing a couple of bets in hopes of gaining more diamonds. The encounter with Monroe had thrown her off course and she needed to take time to figure out her next move. As much as she had blamed Monroe for all of the things that happened to her family, she still couldn't find it within herself to kill him in cold blood. Miles had trained her to be fierce and that often circumstances warranted being ruthless, but murder was something she still couldn't fully reconcile with herself. As much as she tried to justify in her mind that killing Monroe would bring about a sense of justice, when the time came to pull the proverbial and literal "trigger," she was finding that she was struggling...particularly since he had saved her life the night before. Charlie figured Monroe still had some sense of loyalty to Miles and by extension, he had protected her as a way of channeling that loyalty.

"You hear about those fellas with the U.S. government?" one man wearing a brown cowboy hat said to another man at the table.

This got Charlie's attention- _what U.S. government_? she thought to herself.

"Yeah, I heard they are headquartered in Texas and will be headed in this direction for recruits," the other man replied.

 _Texas_ \- Charlie thought to herself. Miles and her mom were in Texas with her grandpa, Aaron, and many others.

"They have several bounty hunters working these parts on some leads," the man spoke up again.

"Yeah- heard they were looking for ol' Monroe- like he would be around here..." the man replied back.

Charlie sat up in her chair at this statement. There was now apparently a U.S. government that was looking for Monroe... it was only a matter of time before he was found out.

Charlie ended up folding her match and stood up to walk away to talk to Monroe.

Charlie knocked on the door of Monroe's trailer and rolled her eyes when a petite female with dark hair opened the door.

"Can I help you?" the girl asked, looking Charlie up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

"No, you can't- I am looking for- Jimmy," Charlie replied curtly.

"What do you want?" Monroe appeared in the doorway behind the girl.

"I need to talk to you," Charlie replied and then gave the girl a look. The girl looked at Charlie and turned around to give Monroe a deep kiss before brushing past Charlie and out the door, while Charlie rolled her eyes.

"So, talk-" Monroe said, shutting the door and walking back into his "living room."

Charlie noted the trailer was about what you would expect- a crowded space with food containers, clothes, a general bachelor pad pig sty.

"This place is a gross mess," Charlie observed.

Monroe rolled his eyes, "whatever...the maid is on vacation. Was there something you wanted, Charlotte?" Despite his words, he walked over to the table and started picking up a few papers and bottles that had accumulated on the table.

"I overheard two men at the Black Jack table talking about bounty hunters for the U.S. Government-" Charlie said.

"-what U.S. Government?" Bass stopped what he was doing and turned around to face her, bottles in his hand.

"That's what I was wondering as well," Charlie replied. "...but they specifically mentioned bounty hunters are looking for 'Monroe."

"Damnit!" Monroe threw a glass bottle against the wall and Charlie watched as it shattered.

"Does that surprise you?" Charlie said, shaking her head at how volatile he was. "You were a dictator who pissed off a bunch of people...they think you nuked cities-"

"I know what they think, Charlotte," Bass said in an angry tone. "...I knew it was only a matter of time before they were looking for me...the only thing on my side is the fact that many people don't know what Sebastian Monroe actually looks like..."

"Well, that could quickly change now that bounty hunters are involved...they could be former militia- plus, you're like a local celebrity here...you don't exactly fit into the background," Charlie pointed out.

"Yeah...I think now is the time that you tell me where Miles is," Bass said.

"What? No," Charlie said in a tone like Monroe was out of his mind.

"Charlotte, these U.S. guys are going to be a big problem- and chances are, if they are after Sebastian Monroe, they are after Miles Matheson too...he needs to be warned."

Charlie was silent at that- she couldn't argue.

"I need you to tell me where he is, so we can go and warn him," Bass said.

"He might already know what is going on- those men said the U.S. Government is headquartered in Texas...that's where Miles and my mom are," Charlie admitted.

"I need for you to take me to them," Bass said.

Charlie shook her head, watching him. "What makes you think they want your help?"

"They may not want my help, but they are going to need it," Bass replied. "...we are going to need men though. We can't take down the U.S. Government with two or three people..."

Charlie looked confused. "...and where exactly would we get men? You don't really want to alert people to who you are, right?"

"I have a plan."


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter borrowed a few lines from the series, but as usual, I own nothing

 _I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man_

 _I got skin in the game_

 _I got a household name_

 _I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man_

5:00 pm

Charlie and Monroe walked to a small village just on the outskirts of New Vegas.

"So, what, are you just going to ask this Duncan person for men from his war clan?" Charlie asked as they walked. Monroe ignored her as they continued to walk.

"Just let me do the talking - ok, Charlie?" Bass replied as they stopped in front of a tent, much like the ones in New Vegas.

Charlie followed Bass inside the tent where a man was playing a guitar and there were various card games being played at tables set up around in the interior.

Bass walked up to a table where seven people were involved in a high stakes card game.

"Hello, Duncan," Bass said lightly.

Charlie's eyebrows raised when she noted the attractive brunette turn around in her chair.

"Sebastian-" Duncan said, eyeing Bass and Charlie.

"That's Duncan?...and she knows who you really are?" Charlie couldn't help herself from asking aloud.

"There's not a lot I don't know, kid," Duncan retorted, a hint of amusement evident in her tone. She fixed her attention back on Bass, "You're plucking them awful young these days."

Bass ignored her statement. "I was hoping we could have a few moments to talk"

"...and why would I do that?" Duncan asked.

"...for old times' sake?" Bass smiled at Duncan.

Charlie looked from Bass to Duncan, realizing the connection - of course, these two had a history.

"Don't even try to get cute with me...not after how you left things...you have five minutes," Duncan said, standing from the table and walking out of the tent with Bass on her heels.

"Wait for me outside," Bass said over his shoulder to Charlie.

Charlie nodded and walked outside to wait.

 **5:15 pm**

Bass came out of another tent adjacent to where they had found Duncan.

"Did you get the men we needed?" Charlie asked.

"Well, she agreed to sell us some of her men," Bass replied.

"Ok...well we don't exactly have a ton of diamonds, so how much?" Charlie asked.

"She will give us men for thirty diamonds a head."

"What?!" Charlie stopped in her tracks.

Bass stopped abruptly, looking around. "You wanna keep your voice down?"

"So, I have like twenty diamonds- that's not even enough for one man," Charlie said.

"I have some diamonds stashed back in my trailer - but still not enough to get us more than two or three men," Bass replied.

"So, what are we going to do, then?" Charlie asked.

"Give me a minute," Bass retorted, thinking.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "I guess your charm wasn't so convincing since she wouldn't reduce the price."

Bass fixed her with a look, "Duncan and I have a bit of a complicated history, so the fact she gave me five minutes was probably more than I deserved."

Charlie smirked, "Wow, what a ladies man."

Bass snapped to look at her.

"Seriously, I am beginning to wonder if there is any woman left in New Vegas who you haven't screwed," Charlie said brazenly.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Charlotte," Bass half smirked as she walked ahead of him, rolling her eyes yet again.

 **5:45 pm**

Bass and Charlie were back at his trailer planning their next move.

"So, you want to rip off Gould? What are we, crooks now?" Charlie asked as Bass was standing in his trailer, stuffing clothes into an old duffel bag.

"I don't think of it so much as 'ripping him off' as I think of him giving me appropriate compensation...he has been cheating me out of diamonds for months," Bass replied.

"How will this go down exactly? I mean, without us getting caught?" Charlie asked.

"I am fighting tonight, but not until 11- we can run surveillance on Gould's guys at the Black Jack tables first-we can scope out what they use to collect the diamonds at the gambling tables, and how often they change them out. I am guessing they do a collection at least twice a night but I am sure there is a standard routine...we just have to learn what time they make the pick-ups," Bass said.

 **10:15 pm**

Bass and Charlie were watching discreetly from their seats at the bar. They had been there for at least four hours, having drinks, and watching the gambling tables. So far, there had been a diamond payment collection at 7:00 pm and again at 9:00 pm. The same man had done the collection both times, and Bass had subtly followed him to the back of the tent where there was a makeshift office set up with a safe. The key to their plan would be to head off the guy before he could deposit the diamonds in the safe, all without anyone catching them or attracting attention inside the casino tent. Bass made his way back to the bar.

"We'll work out the details, but I think we should be good to go for tomorrow night," Bass said as he sat back down at the bar next to Charlie. Charlie only nodded in response.

Charlie was drinking a bit faster (and much more) than she normally did and was really starting to feel the alcohol, although she didn't want it to be too evident. She was trying to keep up with Bass, who had only laughed when he realized what she was doing. They would be lucky if he didn't have to carry her out of here by the end of the night.

Bass had been pretending to flirt with her throughout the evening, merely as a cover for keeping other men or women from approaching them so they could run surveillance and discuss without interruption. (Bass and Charlie had separately garnered plenty of attention from the opposite sex). The more that Charlie drank she was starting to wonder if she was misinterpreting Bass' actions and words. Bass continued to get friendlier as time passed and he seemed to been _actually_ flirting with her. He didn't seem to be blatantly drunk, but he tolerated and maintained so well, it was virtually impossible to see how much he may be affected by the amount of alcohol he had consumed.

She couldn't really fully define his behavior, it was more of a vibe she thought that she was picking up on- a vibe that seemed to have shifted over the past couple of days...currently, it was the way that he made her feel when he looked at her, even when no one else was around to keep up their cover...he would fix her with a gaze like he was undressing her with his eyes. Miles had witnessed similar looks between her and Jason and had called it 'eye-f***s' - he had also asked to never be subjected to their "eye foreplay" again.

Monroe put a hand on her knee, taking another swig of his whiskey as one of Gould's men passed them. He seemed to let his hand linger for a few seconds longer, even after the man had already gone by them, running his hand further up her thigh before removing it altogether. Charlie just took another sip from her drink, not making any sudden move or comment.

He was a tough one to figure out, and it was then that Charlie realized her life experiences up to this point did not prepare her for someone like Bass Monroe.

Charlie chose not to think more on it and finally chalked up Monroe's behavior to the alcohol - either Bass was drunk or her own drunkenness had caused her perception to become really skewed.

 **11:00pm**

Charlie stood off to the site in the packed tent and began to hear cheers and the roar of the crowd around her. She stepped around a group of bystanders to see Monroe walking into the tent for his fight. He was certainly quite a crowd-pleaser around this place...

The fight started and Bass went two rounds with his opponent. It almost looked Bass was trying to drag it out for some reason, at least from Charlie's perspective. After the first two rounds, Bass made pretty quick work of taking his opponent down. Charlie couldn't help but admire his skill- he made it look effortless. His muscular back and shoulders glistened with sweat and his toned abs were on display as he delivered a roundhouse punch to his opponent, sending him straight to the ground.

The referee raised Bass' hand, announcing him the victor of his fortieth consecutive fight since coming to New Vegas.

Gould came up behind Bass, slapping him on the shoulder, looking very pleased, and pulling him closer to say something that others could not hear. It made Charlie wonder if Gould wasn't placing bets on how many rounds Bass would go or how long the fight would last and that Bass was obliging so Gould would win the bets...she wouldn't put it past either of them at this point.

Charlie noticed she was once again admiring his physique, standing there in the middle of the tent, shirtless and glistening with sweat.

 _What is wrong with me?!_ , Charlie thought to herself, realizing that she was beginning to see Monroe more as a man, than the monster she had made him out to be in her mind...and a very attractive man, at that.

Pairing that with the adrenaline of seeing him in action and the fact that he had shown his protective nature over her- _this is just a hormonal response combined with alcohol_ , she thought to herself. _He could be anyone..._

 _...Yeah, keep telling yourself that._


	5. Chapter 5

**_I hope you all are enjoying the story- I love feedback!_**

 _When it comes to Friday, I always earn_  
 _But don't try to teach me, I got nothing to learn_  
 _'Cause baby I'm gifted_  
 _You see what I mean?_  
 _USDA certified lean_

 **1:45 am**

Charlie was sitting at a table playing cards and sipping moonshine when Bass walked back into the tent.

He walked up behind her chair and leaned over the back to see her cards.

She immediately pulled the cards to her chest when she turned around to find him standing above her. He only grinned at her.

"I'm not exactly going to announce your hand to everyone," he said with a laugh in his tone.

Charlie found herself laughing a little as well. She had consumed well over her limit for alcohol that night and was feeling pretty good.

A few moments later, the winning hand was shown, the card game was over, and everyone started to disperse.

"Where are you headed?" Bass asked Charlie.

"Probably to the Inn down the road," Charlie replied, pulling her chain belt and pack from the back of her chair. Bass started to walk out of the tent alongside Charlie.

"Just stay at the trailer tonight" Bass offered without hesitation. Charlie looked at him in surprise and Bass only shrugged.

"It's late and you need to keep your diamonds- the Inn has rooms for at least fifteen diamonds a night," Bass reasoned. "We may end up needing some of your diamonds, if this plan goes belly up."

"Well, thanks, but listening to you and one of your whores isn't exactly how I want to end my night," the words spilled out of Charlie's mouth before she could even stop them.

Bass nearly laughed at her brazen statement... there were several ways he could respond to this, but he opted not to push her buttons any further tonight. "Well, there are no whores tonight- I am going to sleep, that's it...seriously, come on."

Charlie was reluctant for a moment and then started to follow him. The two were silent for the short remaining walk back to Bass' trailer. He unlocked the door and allowed Charlie to walk through first.

"I'll just take the couch- you can have the bed," Bass explained. Charlie looked at him for a moment, uncertain.

As if he could read her mind, "the sheets have been changed- Gould actually has maids that come in and change the sheets on the bed- they were just here today," he stated, trying to stifle another laugh.

"Well, maybe the maids could also help you out with this living room- still a pig sty," Charlie smiled, her tone more playful than sarcastic, noting papers and bottles still on one of the tables.

Bass only shook his head and laughed, grabbing a pillow and taking his place on the couch as Charlie walked back to his bedroom and shut the door.

 **The Day of the Heist**

 **9:00 am**

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you nervous?" Bass asked Charlie, as he dipped his biscuit into the plate of gravy. They were having breakfast in the tent and discussing strategy for the evening ahead (actually Bass was discussing strategy- Charlie had hardly said a word).

Charlie had been unusually quiet all morning. She nodded. "I'm not nervous- I just don't feel very well."

Bass smirked at that, "Ahh, you have a hangover...told you - that was too much alcohol for you last night."

"I can hold my alcohol, I'm fine," Charlie replied, not meeting his eyes.

The truth was, she was not only dealing with a hangover from all of the moonshine (and other libations) she had consumed the night before, but also the realization that she was starting to see Bass differently. It had become glaringly obvious last night when she was practically ogling him during his fight. _Thank God he hadn't noticed_...

"Yeah, get it together, alright? I need you on top of your game tonight, if this is going to work," Bass spoke in a hushed tone that pulled Charlie from her thoughts.

Charlie nodded again, still silent.

"...and who might this be?" a voice called from behind them and they could see it was Gould approaching their table, motioning to Charlie.

Bass turned around in his chair. He looked at Gould and back to Charlie, not quite prepared for how to play this. Charlie seemed to be throwing him off his game lately...

"Hello Gould- yes, this is -" Bass turned to look at Charlie again, not entirely sure whether she had been using her real name while in New Vegas.

"-Savannah," Charlie caught on and spoke up with her alias, looking at Gould and offering a flirtatious smile that got Bass' attention.

Gould took Charlie's hand and kissed it. "Nice to meet you, Savannah- you must be pretty special. Jimmy doesn't usually invite his guests to breakfast," he was smirking at Bass as he spoke.

Bass remained silent until he noticed that Gould was blatantly staring at Charlie. "Hey-" Gould didn't seem to notice until Bass snapped his fingers closer to Gould's face, "Hey!"

"Relax- you aren't exactly the possessive type, Jimmy," Gould grinned, not having previously witnessed Jimmy reacting this way toward a female. "Savannah, come to the tables later, play a few games - my treat."

Charlie gave Gould a bright smile and nodded that she would indeed come to the tables later. She leaned forward with a playful tone, still looking directly at Gould. "I would love to, thank you."

Gould winked at her and grinned again before walking away. Bass could only look between Gould and Charlie, starting to feel uneasy about this plan.

"This could actually be to our advantage," Charlie spoke up softly so no one else could hear. "Maybe if I can distract Gould along with a few of his men tonight at the tables, it will be easier for you to get out of the tent with the diamonds."

Bass sat there for a moment in silence, suddenly not so sure what to think of Charlie at this point. "Are you really sure about this? You gotta be careful with some of these guys...Gould is a shark- don't get yourself hurt or killed, at least not until you're back on Miles' watch," he said boldly. He was starting to get angry and he wasn't quite sure where it was coming from.

Charlie narrowed her eyes. Bass had been acting like a (borderline) gentleman last night and this morning, and then he had to start acting like an ass again. There were moments it seemed like he may actually care what happened to her, but then she realized that it all came back to Miles and what he would think, how he would react, etc.

"I will be fine - I know you wouldn't want to disappoint Miles and all, but I'm not a kid and you're not my keeper," Charlie retorted, standing up from the table and walking back through the tent.

Bass knew that he had underestimated Charlie - he knew that she wasn't some innocent kid who was unaware of how high the stakes were for all of them...she had only been playing along with Gould to use it to their advantage later, but Bass had felt the strong urge to rip the guy's head off just for looking at her...

Bass signed and leaned back in his chair, trying to process the range of conflicting emotions he was currently experiencing.


	6. Chapter 6

_Who's the man? Who's the man?_  
 _I'm the man, I'm the man_  
 _Who's the man with the plan?_  
 _I'm the man_

Bass caught up to Charlie outside of the tents shortly after.

"I know you can handle this," Bass offered, hoping to make amends. "If we handle everything just like we discussed, this time tomorrow we will be headed to Texas with our men from the war clan."

Charlie nodded and continued to walk. One minute Bass was treating her like a legitimate partner and the next he was acting like she was some hanger-on that he was responsible for babysitting... she chose to just leave it alone for now, it was becoming too confusing and they had work to do besides arguing.

"Thanks for letting me crash at the trailer last night," Charlie changed the subject as she and Bass walked back to his trailer.

"No problem. Like I said before, you want to save your diamonds and you certainly don't want to camp in the woods again," Bass replied. "Although, I suppose it wouldn't be too difficult for an attractive woman like you to find a place to sleep for the night."

Charlie nearly stopped in her tracks at his words.

Bass kept walking and didn't seem to catch on to why she had slowed down- either he didn't realize what he had just said or he was choosing to be more bold and just didn't really care.

 **8:35pm**

Charlie was seated at the bar and observed Bass who was a few yards away at a gambling table.

She noted the blonde woman who had walked up beside Bass, touching his arm lightly and smiling. He grinned at her in response and clearly knew who she was.

Charlie ordered an extra shot of whiskey from the bartender and took it right away, enjoying how the liquid burned all the way down her throat. She proceeded to take three more shots while Bass placed more bets, the blonde now a fixture at his side.

Charlie leaned back in her chair, not sure how this new development was going to factor into the plan. They had roughly 25 minutes until the last diamond collection of the night...she figured either way, Bass would have it covered.

After a couple more minutes at the table, Bass whispered something in the girl's ear and Charlie watched as she giggled and walked out of the tent.

Bass casually approached Charlie at the bar.

"Thought your little friend was going to get in the way there for a second," Charlie said, taking another swig of her whiskey. "Why did she leave so quickly?"

"I told her to get ready and that I would meet her at my trailer in about 45 minutes," Bass said, watching the rest of the gambling tables and not meeting Charlie's eyes.

"Of course you did," Charlie retorted leaning toward the bar. She turned back to the bartender, "Another shot please."

Bass looked from the bartender to Charlie. "Take it easy on the booze, at least until we get this done..."

Charlie just looked at Bass defiantly as she knocked back another shot.

Almost like clockwork, Charlie noticed Gould and a couple of his men had entered at the corner of the tent.

She slid off her barstool, bumping Bass' shoulder as she walked away but not looking back as she walked over to Gould.

"King's lady- Savannah, right?" Gould grinned when he saw her and noted that Jimmy was standing by the bar, watching their exchange.

"I wouldn't say that I am his lady, that's for sure...but I believe you do owe me a game or two of Black Jack," Charlie grinned.

Bass took that as his cue to exit the tent from the right so Gould would assume he had left the area- the key was for none of Gould's men to be able to place Bass near the scene of the crime.

Charlie started smiling at Gould."I have never played Black Jack before, can you show me?"

Gould led her over to the Black Jack table and turned to show Charlie how the game was played. This got the attention of a few others at the table, and a couple of the men were smiling at Charlie as she asked questions she already knew the answers to, related to the game.

A few moments later, Charlie happened to notice the man in the white cowboy hat, making the diamond collection in two small leather bags- he had stopped at each table around them to pick up the payment collection.

Bass had sneaked back in through the side of the tent, but was hidden behind one of the curtains just beside the makeshift office.

Just as he had done the previous night, the man in the white cowboy hat had walked back to the "office" with the leather bags, ready to make the deposit in the safe.

Slowly sneaking up behind the man, Bass delivered a blow to the back of the man's head, and catching him before he hit the ground. The blow wasn't hard enough to be fatal, only to knock him out for a little while so he would have no memory of what happened. Bass laid the man on the ground just outside of the tent, figuring it might be a little while before anyone missed him or realized he hadn't already deposited the diamonds in the safe.

Bass grabbed the leather bags, stuffed them into his leather jacket, zipped it up quickly, and looked both ways before making a quick exit out of the side of the tent.

He kept walking very casually, not too slow or fast, straight back to his trailer.

The pretty blonde from earlier was standing near the front door of Bass' trailer.

"Go on inside and I will be there in a few," Bass said, opening the door for her. and giving her his million dollar grin. The girl smiled back at him and walked through the door of the trailer. Bass shut the door behind her, staying outside.

Bass had already picked out a perfect spot to stash the diamonds for tonight-buried underground a few yards behind his trailer. He couldn't take the risk of anyone finding the diamonds in his trailer. The spot he had decided on was just behind a group of trees so it wasn't even visible from the back porch of his trailer but was far enough from plain sight from passersby.

Bass grabbed the shovel he had managed to swipe earlier and headed straight for the area beyond the trees. He was planning to tell exactly no one where he was hiding the diamonds, not even Charlie. He just couldn't take the chance that she would take the diamonds and split out of town without him...unfortunately, he had been burned a time or two by Mathesons so he was a little leery to fully trust her.

When he was finished, he walked back to the trailer and walked inside to the find the woman waiting on him.

"Listen, Jade...I'm sorry, but I actually have to fight later tonight...I'm just not really up for anything right now," Bass said. He knew it sounded like a weak excuse to get rid of her, but he was giving her such a charming smile that she really didn't argue or try to resist his decision. He gently took her arm and ushered out of his trailer.

He quickly changed into the clothes he normally wore for the fights, mainly consisting of a pair of black pants and boots.

Bass walked back to the gambling tent where Charlie was still at the Black Jack table with Gould and a few of his men. She had been subtly looking around, waiting for a signal that he had returned.

Bass stood at the entrance of the tent and Charlie spotted him almost immediately. He only had to simply nod which was their code that everything had gone according to plan.

 **11:45 pm**

High off one of the best fights he has had in years and the adrenaline pumping through his veins from the success of their plan to get the diamonds, Bass gladly accepted the shots being handed to him at the bar. He was sufficiently buzzed, which was rare considering how high his tolerance was due to how much he normally drank.

Gould had been extremely happy with the outcome of the fight until he had found his payment coordinator unconscious behind the gambling tent. Of course, Gould was set to launch a full-scale investigation into what happened and had already questioned a few of the regulars, but for tonight, he was also going to celebrate the victory of doubling his average winnings from the bets on Jimmy King's latest fight. Gould figured he had lost about 200 diamonds when his guy was robbed, but just tonight had brought in around 600 diamonds...

Charlie walked toward Bass and the bevy of females surrounding him at the bar. She tried to push down the overwhelming feelings of jealousy she was starting to feel...once again, she tried to chalk it up to the numerous shots she had consumed before and after they had managed to pull off their diamond heist.

Charlie stopped and decided to take a place at the bar a few spaces down from Bass and his fan club.

A tall, blonde man who looked to be around Charlie's age sidled up beside her at the bar, "Hey-"

Charlie looked sideways at him, "Hey-"

"Can I get you a drink?" the man asked her. He reached out his hand, "I'm Jake."

"Savannah," Charlie responded, shaking his hand. She looked at the bartender and ordered another whiskey.

She looked over to see Bass, still surrounded by women, but instead of being preoccupied with the women around him, he was instead watching Charlie's exchange with the Jake.

"I haven't seen you around here before," Jake commented. "Are you new to the area?"

"I have been here for a little while-," Charlie replied.

"-Time to go-" At that moment, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the bar and Jake.

"What the hell, Monr-Jimmy?!" Charlie nearly shouted as Bass continued to guide her through the tent and outside, but she caught herself before she blew his cover.

"I am getting really tired of saving your ass, so I figured it was better to call a preemptive strike rather than wait for that jerk-off to attack you," Bass said harshly.

"Who said I didn't want him to try something?" Charlie asked with the defiant look that Bass had come to know very well since she came to New Vegas.

Bass shook his head, continued walking back toward his trailer with Charlie angrily on his heels.

"You are not my father or bodyguard or whatever," Charlie called out behind him. "You don't get to call the shots on what I do or who I do it with!"

Bass turned then and walked back to her, stopping only when he was standing to stand toe-to-toe with her.

"Oh, so you are the only one can do the cock blocking then, is that it?" he said through gritted teeth. Bass was so close to her now that Charlie could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Please- I haven't kept you from any of those women...Just go! Go screw those whores- see if I care," Charlie nearly spat.

She turned to walk away from him when he grabbed her arm, whirling her back, practically falling into his chest.

His lips crashed into hers with such a fierce aggression and pent-up frustration that she was almost taken aback...but once she realized what had happened, Charlie gave as good as she got.

After a few moments, Bass pulled away and looked at Charlie. She had never seen him look this way before. It was a mixture of a haze of lust and a look of uncertainty...almost as if he was trying to silently gauge her thoughts and whether she wanted to be doing this or if it was the alcohol making them both a little reckless.

Charlie could almost see the conflicting feelings in his eyes and she was wondering if the same were reflected in her own. He seemed to be silently questioning the next move and what she wanted. He was trying to give her an 'easy out' on this situation.

Charlie silently answered him by pulling him down for another kiss.

That seemed to satisfy the question in Bass' mind at that moment.

Without another word, Bass took Charlie's arm and pulled her along with him back to his trailer.


	7. Chapter 7

_I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man_  
 _I got skin in the game_  
 _I don't feel no pain_  
 _I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man_

 **7:15 am**

Charlie rolled over on her side and opened her eyes to find Bass sitting on a chair by the bed, putting on his boots. The two eyed each other quietly for a minute, each trying to figure out what to say...

Charlie sat up and immediately felt nauseated. Rubbing her eyes, putting her feet over the edge of the bed she sat up, "Morning," she said quietly.

"Good morning," Bass said, relief evident in his tone. He really hadn't been sure how this whole thing would play out in the light of day.

"Have you been up long?" Charlie asked.

"About an hour or so, I don't really sleep much," Bass replied. Finally, he thought it would be best to clear the air.

"Listen, Charlie- about last night..." Bass began.

Charlie looked at him, silently waiting for him to continue.

"We still have a lot to get through today with paying for Duncan's men and getting out of town, I just don't want anything to be awkward and well, it really doesn't have to be," Bass explained.

"Right- I get it- you were drunk and looking for a hook-up, whatever,-" Charlie said dismissively.

"-Charlie, that's not at all what I am saying," Bass interrupted.

"Ok, then what was last night? After all, I am about the most complicated choice for you, out of all of the women around here..." Charlie looked at him squarely, putting him on the spot to tell her the truth.

"What was it to you?" Bass knew she was right- she was the most complicated choice, but he quickly turned the tables back on Charlie- he was honestly curious as to what her answer may be.

"I honestly don't know," Charlie said. "Being here in New Vegas, with you, has made me question just about every notion I ever had about my life and what I thought I knew..."

Bass nodded, seeming to understand.

"For so long, you were the enemy...I blamed you for my family falling apart but now, after being here with you, I feel like I have seen a different side of who you are or who you can be," Charlie continued. "I know that last night can't really mean anything, but I honestly don't know if I am happy or sad about that."

Bass stared at her quietly. They were pretty much on the same page in their thinking.

Since Charlie had turned up in New Vegas, she had challenged him, renewed his sense of loyalty in another person, and had managed to pique his interest with her wit, intelligence, and bravery.

"Okay, I can agree with just about everything that you just said," Bass replied after a moment.

Charlie appeared somewhat surprised and Bass noticed her expression.

"Why does that surprise you?" he asked.

"I just figured you were always sleeping around, that this was no different," Charlie shrugged, honestly hoping that somehow he would prove her wrong.

Bass almost laughed at that, "well, thank you, Charlotte, for calling me a whore without actually coming right out and saying it..."

"Hey, I am just saying that I don't have any grand delusions about what happened last night," Charlie said, almost getting out of bed but quickly realizing that she had no clothes on underneath the sheet she had pulled around her upper body.

Bass watched her with a smile on his face. "Well, in full disclosure, I don't know what last night was or what it meant exactly...I just know it was different than anything I have experienced in a really long time."

"Same here," Charlie said, sitting still on the side of the bed and making eye contact with Bass.

The two watched each other for a full minute or two in silence, both waiting for what the other may say or do next. The vibe in the room started to take on a different feel again...seeing Charlie there wrapped in a sheet on his bed suddenly sent flashes of memories (of the two of them last night in this room) washing over him.

Before he could do anything else that he would need to explain, rationalize, or apologize for later, Bass stood up and walked to the door. "I will be out in the living room, if you want to get dressed and meet me out there when you're ready. I already got the diamonds and packed a bag...I figure the sooner we get on the road, the better...I need to leave quickly before Gould starts to realize I am leaving."

Within ten minutes, Charlie had gotten out of bed, gotten dressed, and was meeting Bass in the living room of the trailer.

He put the leather bags of diamonds at the bottom of his pack. Their next stop would be to Duncan to purchase some of the men from the war clan.

"You ready to go see Miles?" Bass asked Charlie as he put the pack over his shoulder.

Later that morning, the two set out on foot to make their way to Willoughby, Texas, along with eight men from the war clan who would now be answering to Bass...

 **7:00 pm**

Bass determined it was a good time to stop for the night and set up camp. The men were proving to be a valuable asset for travel with their hunting skills and supplies.

A group of the men were cooking their catches by the fire and another had even brought a guitar and was playing for the group. It was turning out to be a pretty pleasant journey...

Bass and Charlie had barely spoken through the day's travels, both walking with the newcomers to the group.

After dinner, Charlie was sitting on a log watching the one with a guitar (Kenny). He was singing old songs from the 1980's and Bass was about 99% sure he was the only individual here that probably remembered those songs actually playing on a radio.

Bass sat down beside her and handed her a flask of whiskey.

She smiled and took a big swig from the flask.

"I would say it has been a pretty good start to the trip," Bass said, as she handed the flask back to him.

"Yeah, I agree," Charlie replied, turning to face him.

"I would say we have another three or four travel days and we should be getting closer to Texas," Bass said.

"It took me about 7 days, but I stopped a bit along the way," Charlie said, remembering when she had left Willoughby four months ago to set out on her own.

"You never told me why you left Texas in the first place," Bass said.

"I needed to get out of there, things with my mom haven't been easy and it got progressively worse," Charlie said plainly. "She had Miles there with her, so I wanted to get out and be on my own for awhile."

"Be honest, you just wanted to come and find me," Bass interjected.

Charlie looked at him and smirked, "Yeah, I had heard that you were spotted outside of New Vegas so I planned to go there and kill you."

"'The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry,'" Bass said, staring into the fire.

"Yeah, something like that- although I will admit that I am no Robert Burns," Charlie said.

Bass looked at her quickly, clearly impressed.

"What? Aaron was always teaching us about literature and poetry," Charlie smiled.

"You are kind of unpredictable," Bass said after a moment.

"I think that's better than being boring," Charlie replied.

"Oh, I am not complaining, trust me," Bass said, looking into her eyes.

Charlie looked playfully at him, leaning over to whisper in his ear, "Meet me behind those trees in about ten minutes?...How is that for unpredictable?"

With that, she got up and walked away, leaving Bass sitting there alone and dumbfounded.


	8. Chapter 8

Dialogue from a couple of scenes was lifted from Episode 2x05, but as usual - I own nothing! I hope everyone is enjoying the story and I really do love comments and feedback!

 _I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man_  
 _I got skin in the game_  
 _Headed to the hall of fame_  
 _I got news for you baby, you're looking at the man_

 **Four Days Later**

The mercenaries had continued their journey through the Plains Nation with Bass and Charlie over the past four days. The group used the most of the daylight hours to travel and would set up camp for the night at sundown.

Bass, Charlie, and the mercenaries were walking down a dirt road during late afternoon on the fourth day when they saw a tattered old sign:

 _Willoughby 10 miles_

"Getting closer," Bass stated, continuing to walk with Charlie alongside. She only nodded in response.

"I am sure these U.S. Government guys are running surveillance all over town," Bass explained. "I think we should set up camp outside of city limits tonight," Bass said. "That will give us some time to scope out the area and see how their operations are set up..."

Charlie agreed and Bass directed the mercenaries to look for a place to set up for the night.

During their time on the road, Bass and Charlie had fallen into the habit of waiting until everyone had settled at the camp for the night and then sneaking into the woods for time alone together. They rarely spoke to one another, but rather communicated through looks. It was a silent arrangement of sorts that had been originally initiated by Charlie and had continued the past few nights. Neither questioned the other's intentions, feelings or thoughts on why this was happening, both were unwilling to admit that this could mean anything than the need to "scratch an itch.."

Charlie would never admit it to anyone but she had come to crave attention from Bass. He had always had a 'larger than life' personality and watching him "in action" with leading the mercenaries was a major turn on for her. Charlie wouldn't allow herself to delve too much further into the thought, afraid of what she would allow herself to acknowledge. She was convinced that Bass just needed physical gratification, and given his history, that wasn't a stretch of the imagination. _It's the same for you,_ Charlie thought to herself, adamant to convince herself. It was the only scenario possible at this point, for either of them.

Charlie was leaned against a tree with Bass nuzzling her neck after one of these encounters.

"You know, this little arrangement has to stop once we make our appearance in Willoughby," Charlie spoke up. Bass only nodded, still nuzzling her neck.

"I'm serious," Charlie couldn't help but smile at the way the light scruff from Bass' beard was tickling her neck. This made Bass pull away and give her a sincere smile.

"Charlotte, let's just get to Willoughby tomorrow without Miles trying to kill me, and we can figure out the rest of it," Bass said, looking into her eyes. Pools of deep blue, shining in the moonlight- Charlie could get lost in those eyes if she allowed it...which she wouldn't. Clearly...

The two quietly gathered the items scattered on the grass and headed back to camp with the bright moon shining over the land.

 **The Next Morning**

Bass and Charlie were set up on a rooftop just outside of town, watching the scene below with a shared pair of binoculars.

Bass had been correct in his assessment that the U.S. Government "soldiers" were posted at the town entrance and along the edges of town.

"You're going to need to go in and find Miles," Bass said, looking through the binoculars. "Go get him and meet me back at the ravine near our campsite."

Charlie nodded.

"I'll wait back with the men but I don't want Miles to feel like this is an ambush, so I will tell them to stay back until we can meet with him," Bass continued.

"Okay...guess I will go ahead now then," Charlie said, making a move to start to move back down from the rooftop. Bass grabbed her wrist.

Charlie turned to look at him. Bass gently rubbed her wrist.

"Be careful out there, ok?" Bass said softly.

"Yeah, I will - you too," Charlie said quickly, trying to make a hasty exit. She was starting to let herself think that Bass could actually care about her and that was a thought she didn't want to contemplate too much further.

It wasn't that hard to find Miles this time of day. In the local pub. He had actually been there discussing some information with the barkeep when he exited quickly, not aware of Charlie's presence just outside of the pub.

"Hey you," she said, quietly behind him.

Miles turned to look at her and smiled.

"Hey stranger," he said, wrapping her in his arms. "Missed you around here."

"I missed you guys too," Charlie said hugging him back.

"Well come on- let's get you back to your mom and grandpa," Miles said, taking the lead back to their house.

Charlie stopped him, "there's actually something I wanted to show you first..."

"Ya know, she really missed you Charlie," Miles said, following Charlie to the ravine. "I'm saying when you see her again, go easy on her."

"Yeah, I'll try to play nice- promise," Charlie said as she led them up the hill. "Ok, so now you need to promise me to not...ya know, explode or go crazy," Charlie said.

"Wait, huh?" Miles asked, confused. "...that's never a good-" his words fading off as Bass came into his line of sight.

"Miles," Bass said flatly.

The two watched each other for a moment as Miles expression turned from confusion to anger. He looked from Charlie and back to Bass.

Miles started walking swiftly toward Bass, with Charlie on his heels.

"What did you do to her?" Miles accused.

"Whoa," Bass said. Even he was a little surprised that the direction of conversation had immediately gone to him and Charlie.

"I know you, you son of a bitch, what did you do to her?" Miles said, getting directly in Bass' face with Charlie trying to stand between them.

Before Bass could offer another response, Charlie interjected, "Miles! Stop- he is here to help us."

Miles took a step back to look over at Charlie. "You brought him here-"

"-I just walked halfway down the map down to help you," Bass spoke up to get Miles' attention back to him. "...These U.S. guys,..." Bass said, motioning to Miles' wrapped hand, "...by the looks of it, you're going to need it."

Miles walked forward, closer to Bass, "Oh, you're here to help me? I don't want your help, Bass...I should kill you."

"That's right, but you're never quite able to pull the trigger yourself, right?" Bass said, standing toe to toe with Miles, Charlie watching carefully to see if they were going to work together or try to kill one another.

"You can't do this alone, you need me," Bass replied.

"You wanna help me? Go away," Miles said, turning to walk away.

"They nuked our city, Miles!" Bass said and Miles stopped in his tracks. "They burned it...they're trying to pin it on me, I want payback...best way to get it is you and me...I'm...I'm asking for a truce..."

Miles turned around again and looked at Bass. At that moment, he saw a glimpse of a man he hadn't seen in decades- the Bass Monroe of the past...the Bass Monroe he had grown up with, fought alongside in the Marines...the Bass who had been his family...

"They have bounty hunters out looking for me but chances are, if they are looking for me, they're going to be looking for you. It's only a matter of time," Bass said.

"How do you propose that we go up against these guys? These plastic sons of bitches are everywhere," Miles said.

"We have mercenaries with us," Charlie spoke up and both men turned to look at her. Miles turned to look at Bass.

"It's a small group- but we were lucky to get them," Bass said. "It's a good start..."

Miles shook his head. He wasn't entirely thrilled with this arrangement, but Bass was right - he couldn't do this alone.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you so much for the feedback! I am so glad you all are enjoying the story! Please keep the comments coming- I love it!

Usual disclaimer: I don't own Revolution, or the song lyrics included in the next few chapters

(I often like to incorporate lyrics into the chapters that can either correlate or set the tone of the chapter... now switching from "The Killers" to Lorde's cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" - it is awesome! If you haven't already heard it, you should check it out! There are even some "Revolution" videos out there that include this song...

 _Welcome to your life_  
 _There's no turning back_  
 _Even while we sleep_  
 _We will find You acting on your best behavior_  
 _Turn your back on mother nature_  
 _Everybody wants to rule the world_

"I wasn't kidding, Charlie," Miles said as they walked down the familiar dirt road to the Porter home. "Go easy on her...she's been through a lot."

"Haven't we all," a glib tone was evident in Charlie's voice as she continued to walk alongside him.

Bass had stayed outside of town and gone back to the mercenaries' camp. Charlie and Miles thought it would be best not to immediately introduce Bass back into the equation, especially where Rachel was concerned.

Rachel had been very volatile from the time the bombs dropped. She experienced all of the emotions of grief, feeling completely responsible for the devastation and loss felt by so many. Miles and Rachel's father, Gene had tried to help her. Charlie had mentally, figuratively, and physically checked out of the situation by leaving town.

Charlie and Miles walked into the house and were greeted by the smell of stew.

Gene walked through the living room and gave Charlie a warm smile.

Charlie stepped forward to hug him, "Hey Grandpa."

"Hey, Charlie- what a relief to see you...we were so worried about you," Gene said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

A figure had come silently down the stairs and was now in the doorway, watching Gene and Charlie embracing and Miles standing there, not sure of what to say.

Charlie saw Rachel first and disengaged from her Grandpa's hug.

"Hi Mom," Charlie said tentatively, taking a few steps toward Rachel.

Rachel gave her a small smile. She stepped forward and hugged Charlie. It was like a forced hug...it was not a sincere embrace normally shared by a mother and daughter...it appeared more like they were behaving in a way that was expected of them, and less in the way of how they actually wanted to interact with one another...Things had always been pretty tense between the two of them and that tension had not dissipated while Charlie had been absent. It was pretty evident to everyone.

"Come on in," Gene said, ushering them back into the kitchen. "We have stew brewing for supper tonight but I have some lunch ready now."

Miles followed the group into the kitchen, putting his arms around Rachel's shoulders and pulling her close to him.

 **Late Afternoon**

Bass and the mercenaries were at their camp preparing to clean their catches for dinner when Bass saw a figure deep in the distance, on the road.

His hand reached for the knife in his back pocket when the figure became more clear as the distance became less. Charlie.

Bass put his knife back in his pocket and walked further out to meet her. "Stay here," he called to the men, "I'll be back.."

Charlie saw him walking toward her and instantly smiled. A smile that he whole-heartedly and sincerely returned.

This was the longest period of time they had been apart in days and Charlie found herself missing being around him-this was a thought that she quickly dismissed and refused to allow back into her consciousness.

"Hey," Charlie said as they approached one another.

"Hey, how did it go with Mommy Dearest?" Bass couldn't help but ask, his tone softer than the question would imply.

Charlie pursed her lips and looked thoughtful. "It went about how you would expect- it was awkward and strained," she replied. "She's in so much pain- everything that happened in the Tower...it haunts her everyday."

"It haunts me everyday too," Bass said quietly. "I led Flynn right in that Tower...I feel responsible for what happened and it isn't something you just get over...I think we will all carry it with us for the rest of our lives."

Charlie nodded quietly. It had certainly been a devastation to her as well. One that she would relive, mainly in the quiet of night...remembering the terror and the gravity of what happened. The feeling of absolutely helplessness to stop destruction and death.

She could barely recognize the person she had been back in Sylvania Estates now- she used to be the girl who would enjoy quiet solitude and looking at postcards of cities that no longer existed. She had not yet known a world of fighting and killing...it had only been a world she heard about from others- a distant scenario so far removed from her daily life, she barely acknowledged the dangerous world outside of her home...but her journey to Miles had changed her. It had opened her eyes to the reality and darkness of this world. She had already been slipping into this new way of thinking and that day in the Tower seemed to sweep away what was left of her innocence and hopeful optimism.

"Are you going back there tonight?" Bass asked quietly pulling Charlie out of her thoughts as she cleaned the blade of his knife.

"I suppose I should...it wouldn't really make sense for me to spend the night away from the house tonight. My mom doesn't exactly know I would have any other place to stay...staying with you is about the last thing she would expect for me to do, even if she knew you were here."

Bass nodded. "I didn't actually mean stay _with_ me, in particular...it's just we - now we have the mercenaries, so," Bass was trying to choose the right words to not appear too affected by her, and for the first time in decades, he felt like a bumbling teenager. _What the hell is happening here?_

Charlie remained expressionless and shook her head in understanding. "Even so, I would say you have things covered with the mercenaries, after all, they answer to you."

"I did tell the men that they are to also take direct orders from you," Bass said, looking up at that moment and directly into her eyes.

Bass could have said many things that surprised Charlie in that moment, but that statement was one of the most surprising. The power hungry, condescending, egotistical General Sebastian Monroe had been known to execute close friends who tried to toe the line and exert undue power. Monroe had gained a reputation across the Republic as a leader who would not share power.

To think that he would willingly choose to co-lead the mercenaries _with_ Charlie... this was a revelation.

Bass noticed her surprised expression. "I figure you earned it- you are a big reason we got them in the first place...and I know from experience, it gets lonely at the top if you're there by yourself," he said.

Charlie gave him a faint smile.

Bass took Charlie's hand, softly rubbing her forearm and wrist, "I guess you should get back to Miles and Rachel...before Rachel starts to question where you are- Miles isn't exactly thrilled that I'm here at all, he sure wouldn't like having to explain things to her..."

Charlie took the moment to wrap her arm around Bass' waist, pulling him closer.

"Yeah, to be honest, I doubt they have even missed me. They are kind of in their own little world...my mom goes from crying to screaming to laughing and Miles just tries to smooth it over like she is going through a 'phase'...she's not stable, maybe she never was," Charlie said.

Bass looked deep into her eyes, "None of us are stable...some of us just hide it better than others."

At that moment, he leaned down and gave her a small kiss.

"You should probably get back though," he said after a moment and pulled away.

Charlie gave him a small smile and nodded. She began to walk away as he turned to walk the opposite way back to the campsite.

"Hey, Monroe?" she called to him and watched as he turned around to face her again.

"Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone, alright?" Charlie asked with a hint of playfulness.

Bass gave her his full mega-watt grin. "You know me, Charlotte- I thrive on trouble."

Charlie laughed and turned to walk back into Willoughby city limits.


	10. Chapter 10

_It's my own desire_  
 _It's my own remorse_  
 _Help me to decide_  
 _Help me make the most Of freedom and of pleasure_  
 _Nothing ever lasts forever_  
 _Everybody wants to rule the world_

 **The Next Morning**

Miles, Rachel, Charlie, and Gene were seated at the breakfast table.

"I was going to take Charlie into town to talk to one of the Rangers," Miles spoke up after they been eating quietly. He wasn't going to reveal that Bass Monroe was in town, at least not before he absolutely had to...

Rachel looked up from her plate. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Miles?"

Miles nodded. "Charlie knows what's going on, Rachel." Charlie looked from Miles to her mother.

"That's interesting- I don't even know what is going on," Rachel replied quickly, trying to keep her tone light but answer was start to bubble underneath the surface. Miles turned to look at her and immediately got into "diffusing" mode.

"Rachel, you know as much as I do...these U.S. Government guys came up from Cuba, calling themselves "Patriots" and promising to bring back a new world order," Miles said. "I don't buy it and I want to get to the bottom of it. Charlie can help."

Rachel shook her head reluctantly. Even before she left town four months ago, Charlie had been more inclined to hang "with the boys" than stay at home and prepare meals like some of the other women in the community.

Miles hugged Rachel goodbye and set out on the road with Charlie.

"Take me to the campsite where Bass and these mercenaries are," Miles spoke up after a moment. "I'm assuming they're still there."

"As far as I know," Charlie said, trying to maintain an ambiguous tone.

"So, how did you find him anyway?- Bass," Miles asked.

"He was in New Vegas, fighting for diamonds in a whorehouse," Charlie responded.

"That sounds about right," Miles replied, an amused tone in his voice.

Charlie didn't choose to respond to the statement but only continued, "I wasn't really looking for him, he just happened to be there."

Charlie didn't exactly want Miles to know she had been searching for Monroe, even when the initial reason was because she wanted to kill him. Things were different now, between Charlie and Bass, but she wanted to be very careful with how much information she volunteered to Miles, particularly regarding Bass.

Things were so volatile between Miles and Monroe now, without having Charlie added to the turmoil. She knew that if Miles were to discover anything was happening between her and Bass, he would immediately go after Bass, not her. Even though Miles seemed to trust her instincts and choices more than he used to, Charlie also knew that he still saw her as a "kid" who could be manipulated, especially when faced with someone with the life experience of Bass Monroe.

Charlie herself wasn't entirely convinced that she hadn't been manipulated by Bass...while she never felt like she had been doing anything she didn't want to do, she was well aware of his womanizing tendencies, after all she had witnessed this firsthand in New Vegas.

Even before she left Willoughby, she had overheard Rachel and Miles talking about "Pre-Blackout" Bass Monroe, the charismatic womanizer who went through women like other people changed their clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, Miles and Charlie were on the edge of town and walking through the clearing near the ravine where the campsite was set up.

Bass had been talking with one of the other men when he looked up and saw Miles and Charlie approaching.

The other men were gathering their items and would have pulled weapons if they hadn't noticed Charlie with Miles.

Miles noted the scene, "Eight men? We could use at least twice as many..."

"Like Bass said, we were lucky to get these guys," Charlie replied. "It wasn't easy-"

"Hey," Bass said, approaching them, keeping his eyes trained on Miles, almost afraid that something would show in his expression if his eyes shifted to Charlie.

"Hey Bass," Miles said. At that moment, one of the mercenaries (John) walked up to the three of them.

"Do you want for us to stay here at the campsite for now?" John said, looking at Bass and waiting for orders.

Bass started to answer and then looked to Charlie, nodding. Charlie looked at Bass, trying to read his expression and Miles looked from Bass to Charlie in confusion.

Charlie then understood what Bass was doing and spoke up, "John, keep the men here for now. We'll send a signal and go over our next move when we're ready." She looked over at Bass and he nodded in agreement with her position.

Miles shook his head and looked from Bass to Charlie again.

"Is she commanding this group?" Miles couldn't help but ask, a bit confused by the situation.

Bass looked from Charlie to Miles. "Yes, she is...we both are."

Miles couldn't keep his surprise hidden. "Well, that's a little unexpected."

"I tried to tell you, Miles. I'm not the same person now," Bass replied.

Miles watched him for a beat and then nodded. Bass _did_ seem different. He had noticed it the previous day at the ravine as well and almost wrote it off as a fluke, but he was getting the same vibe again today. He was getting glimpses of the old Bass, the one he thought had been long gone.

 _Had losing the Republic really restored his humanity?_ Miles thought to himself. ... _or was something else responsible for this shift that appeared to be the Bass Monroe of the past?_

Bass and Miles spent the afternoon devising a plan on how to handle the Patriots and how they could work to get the Rangers on their side against the Patriots. They were well aware that they would have to approach this situation with extreme care since Sebastian Monroe was clearly a wanted man and the temptation of such a generous bounty on his head could prove too enticing for many individuals, even Rangers.

Miles also met with the mercenaries and he and Bass began discussing next steps with the men. Charlie mainly observed- it wasn't that they had actively worked to not include her, but rather she was out of her league when it came to giving orders for war.

She was starting to feel like many things in her life were "out of her league."

 **That Evening**

Miles had gone back into Willoughby for the evening while Charlie had chosen to stay at the campsite, under the guise that she was going to work with the mercenaries. She couldn't tell if Miles bought the excuse, but he didn't press the issue.

After supper, she was sitting on a log, drinking moonshine and watching the campfire while Kenny was entertaining the group with his guitar and the numerous 80's pop hits he had memorized. when Bass walked over, his thigh gently brushing hers as he sat down beside her.

"Are you staying here at camp tonight?" Bass asked softly, his eyes skimming across the campfire.

"Not sure yet," Charlie responded, trying to seem noncommittal, blinking a couple of times and trying to maintain through the strong buzz of alcohol pumping through her veins. Normally, she would be ready to invite Bass into their woods for their normal 'tryst', but tonight she was just angry. Angry at herself, angry at him, angry for the 'casual' situation that they had been dancing around for awhile - the cold truth that the alcohol allowed her to reveal was that this arrangement was no longer working for her...

"You shouldn't be on the road after dark, it isn't safe and I would say the sun will set in the next hour," Bass replied, pulling her from her internal struggle.

Charlie only looked at him, her impatience starting to show in her voice. "Have you completely forgotten? I was on the road by myself for weeks, traveling from Willoughby to New Vegas..."

"Have _you_ forgotten that I saved your ass from those Bandits who wanted to do unspeakable things to you because you were alone and trying to camp on their land?" Bass sniped back.

For some reason, Bass had sensed an air of tension between him and Charlie all day, and he had no idea why. Of course, it had been easier to dismiss while Miles was present since Bass and Charlie had barely spoken to one another and it never looked suspicious. It felt like things ha d gotten complicated between them, so it was easier to become distracted with Miles, the mercenaries, and their plans to take down the Patriots.

Charlie didn't argue with his comment about the Bandits. She only replied, "well, if I do stay here, that doesn't mean anything is happening between us..."

Bass looked at her for a second and back at the campfire, "I didn't mean to imply anything about that."

"I know what you were thinking," Charlie bit back quickly. "You figured if I stayed here, I would be an easy lay, yet again..."

Bass felt like he had been slapped in the face. He was hurt by her words- that he would regard her as 'an easy lay'... but he wasn't willing to let her see that he was hurt- in that moment, he'd only been looking for words to snap back at her...to show her that she couldn't get to him and to try to gain the upper hand...digging that hole even deeper...

"Charlotte, I am pretty sure that you have _no_ idea what I was thinking," Bass said seething, looking at her. "Stop pretending like you know me so well...we've had sex a few times, that doesn't mean you can read my mind," he added coldly.

Charlie was almost surprised at his brazen response. "At least you pretty much admit that it meant nothing to you then...I was waiting for that shoe to drop." She bit her lip as if it would stop her from saying anything further. The alcohol was making her _way_ too forthright.

Bass jerked his head back to her, "What the hell are you talking about? I never said it didn't mean anything. Charlie, you're putting words in my mouth-"

"-Just admit, that you and I were just sleeping together to pass the time and that you were using me the way you use the other women you have banged when you feel the urge," Charlie snapped.

Bass' mouth fell open. "Excuse me? Using you...is that how you feel? _You_ were the one who initiated this little 'arrangement' in the first place...and let me ask you something, all of those times, did it feel like you were being used?"

Charlie bit her lip again, silently in thought. Bass had always been an excellent lover who not only showed her genuine affection and respect when they were together, but he had honestly been very gentle and loving. Not one time had she ever felt like he was treating her like some common whore. She wasn't quite positive why she was lashing out like this, maybe it was her own uncertainty of the entire situation and the fact that it meant more to her than she was willing to admit.

Charlie didn't reply, only sitting there silently. Bass stared at her, trying to understand what was going through her mind.

"Where the hell is all of this coming from? Did I force you to do something?" Bass asked.

"No!" Charlie said a little too loudly, which caused a few of the men to look in their direction. She lowered her voice, "No, I wasn't forced...I just kind of came back to reality- this is what you do...this is what you have always done..."

"...and what exactly is _this_?" Bass asked slowly.

"Ya know, sleep around...I have heard the stories my mom used to tell-" Charlie replied when Bass interrupted her.

"-Of course, this is about Rachel," Bass replied, seething again. "Your mom has never been my biggest fan, but what has she been saying about me now in the oh, two days you have been around her again?"

"Not really now, as much as just old stories I remember hearing, about you being a womanizer," Charlie said, feeling her face burning, not sure if it was from the alcohol, the campfire, or her embarassment at how this was playing out...She must look like such a child right now...

"Well, _Rachel_ didn't know shit about my life, even before the Blackout. She only liked to pass judgment on the random stories she may have heard over the years through Ben from Miles...she isn't exactly one to talk either- that woman isn't exactly Mother Teresa."

"...Have I been with a lot of women? Yes, you could say that...I was with a good number of women before the lights went out and the tradition sort of continued over the years..."

Bass was silent for a few moments, thinking about the fact that he had been with women long before Charlie was ever born...he had a wealth of knowledge and world/life experience compared to her own... he was starting to understand what was going on on here.

"Charlie, do you feel threatened by that?" Bass finally laid it out there. The big question that Charlie had been asking herself.

"I don't know what I feel," Charlie sighed, trying to answer honestly. She was utterly confused, and that was the truth.

Bass only nodded. "Well, if this is your way of asking if I have been with anyone since you and I started things, the answer is no."

Charlie looked at him, biting her lip again and he watched her in silence, trying to gauge her expression to see what she was thinking. _What did this mean?_

"I think you _do_ know how you feel, Charlie," Bass said after a moment. "...and I think that is the problem. You don't like the answer you have come up with-"

"Oh yeah?" Charlie asked, her tone bordering on challenging. "...and what answer would that be?"

"The same conclusion I have come to...Charlie, from the moment you found me in New Vegas, you have pissed me off like no one else, you have found ways to challenge me, disturb me, attract me, but the bottom line is, you made me feel alive again...like maybe there was something still left in this god forsaken world to live for..."

Charlie nodded, waiting for him to complete his thought. Bass took her hand in his, looking into her eyes.

"...but dammit, through everything- through the fights and the banter, even before anything happened between us physically, I realized that I was falling for you."


	11. Chapter 11

_There's a room where the light won't find you_  
 _Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down_  
 _When they do, I'll be right behind you_  
 _So glad we've almost made it_  
 _So sad they had to fade it_  
 _Everybody wants to rule the world_

Charlie sat there, almost in shock. She really hadn't expected this, especially from Bass Monroe of all people. She realized that she had underestimated him.

"This isn't a game, Charlotte...I'm too damn old for games," Bass said, still looking into her eyes. "It could be the most complicated choice I could have made for a partner, but I'm in love with you."

Charlie sat completely still, just soaking in his words, not quite sure how to respond. _Did she love him?_

She had never been in love before. Sure, she had the 'puppy love' thing with Jason but that was pretty innocent-clearly nothing compared to the soul-melting connection she had felt with Bass...and not just sexually. When Bass even looked at her, she felt like he could look into her soul. It was such an intense connection where despite all that Bass had done in the past, Charlie truly felt safe with him, like he would do anything in the world to protect her. While he may not need her to protect him, Charlie definitely felt like she would do anything in her power to help make Bass feel cared for and happy...she found that she was happiest now in his presence.

 _Was this what it felt like to be in love?_

Bass let go of her hand and looked thoughtful. "You don't have to say anything in return, that's not what this about...but if there's one thing I have come to realize: Tomorrow is never guaranteed, especially in this world...so I didn't want the opportunity pass to let you know how i really feel about you, no games or ulterior motives...So, now you know..."

Charlie looked into the campfire. "Now I know," she said, breathlessly.

She turned, leaned in at that moment, and framing Bass' face with her hands, kissed him gently.

After a moment, she pulled away. "I have never really had relationships, so I don't have much to compare this to...but I know that I never felt this way about anyone," Charlie said, smiling at him.

Bass' face burst into a grin. He cupped her cheeks with his hands and kissed her again. For a few moments, the two felt blissful- like things could be made right in this world...but it was short lived.

"What the hell is this?!" The voice loomed over them.

 **15 Minutes Previously**

"I'll be back in a few!" Miles called from the porch, letting the screen door swing shut loudly.

He sighed deeply and set out on the path back to the outskirts of town. He had promised Rachel that he would find Charlie and have her come home.

Miles had made up an excuse as to why Charlie wasn't with him when he returned to the Porter house and was promptly questioned by Rachel. He had opted to use Aaron and Cynthia as an excuse- simply telling Rachel that Charlie was spending time with them for the evening. (Miles made a mental note to himself to make sure he mentioned this to Aaron so he wouldn't unwittingly undermine the cover).

Miles had made up another excuse this time to get out of the house, having told Rachel that he was going back out to discuss more plans with the Rangers. He figured that he could get Charlie to come back to Willoughby with him and at least attempt to keep the peace in what was already a volatile household.

Rachel's mood swings were violent these days and she had really taken to almost brow-beating Miles into giving her information about the Rangers and the Patriots. She appeared resentful that he would bring Charlie into the "inner circle," but had allowed Rachel to remain on the outside looking in.

Miles felt remorse about not being honest with her, but given her current state of mind, he figured this was better - he wasn't sure if she could handle it...he figured the more time passed she would get stronger and these excuses and secrets would only be temporary...

He had trudged through the woods quietly, making his way back to the campsite, finally seeing the firelight through the bank of trees. A few of the merecenaries greeted him as he passed through the entrance to the camp and he nodded in response. He could see Bass and Charlie sitting on a log on the other side of the fire, but when he got closer, he almost thought he was imagining things.

Bass was seated beside Charlie, turned to face her but he appeared to be holding one of her hands. The two appeared to be involved in a serious conversation. Miles stopped in his tracks, only watching the scene unfold from across the campfire. What he saw next nearly bowled him over- Charlie Matheson, his _niece_ , was kissing his best friend, Bass Monroe.

Miles felt an anger rise up in him so forcefully as he took two more steps toward them. They had pulled apart by that time, but then Charlie said something else. Bass grinned and was the one who initiated the kiss this time. Neither appeared to care that the mercenaries were around them in the camp, although none seemed to be paying much attention to the two.

Miles stalked toward them, slinging his pack over his shoulder forcefully as he took swift steps.

"What the hell is this?!" Miles shouted, standing over them.

Charlie immediately rose to a standing position and Bass looked up at Miles, trying to carefully calculate his next move.

"Charlie...what the hell are you doing?" Miles asked tersely. "C'mon- you are smarter than this...I expected more from you. He's a jackass- I expected this from him...but never you," Miles said in a biting tone.

"Miles, that's not fair," Charlie said in a low voice and Bass stood slowly from the log.

"You do see that he's using you though, right?" Miles asked, looking from Charlie to Bass. "...and you - you son of a bitch. I knew the moment I saw you again that something had been happening with you two...I wasn't sure exactly what it was, but I _knew_...because I know _you-_ "

Bass held up his hand, trying to diffuse Miles a bit. "-Miles, it isn't like that, ok?"

Miles shrugged his shoulders, mocking Bass. " _Isn't like that_ \- sure, it never is with you, Bass, is it? It wasn't like _that_ with Emma...or Nora...or Rachel-"

Charlie's eyes snapped up from the ground to look from Miles to Bass. "Nora? Rachel?"

Bass didn't acknowledge Charlie's comment, his eyes trained on Miles, silent but looking a little surprised.

Miles read his expression. "Yeah, I knew about Nora and Rachel...are you that surprised? This has become a habit with you. If I have ever been with a woman," Miles looked at Charlie then, "or apparently even _cared_ about a woman, since she's my damn niece, you apparently make it a point to go after her..."

Bass just watched Miles, feeling defeated. He couldn't argue or dispute anything in his past that Miles had just threw out there... to try to reason or explain any of it was a fruitless effort.

Charlie looked like she was going to be sick. "You were with my _mom_?"

Bass looked at Charlie then, feeling a bit sick himself. "It...was a long time ago, in Philadelphia."

Charlie's eyebrows rose. "Oh, so when she was your prisoner?!"

Miles shook his head and sighed. _What a mess._

"It's a little more complicated than that," Bass said and Miles rolled his eyes.

"That's right, it always is with you, huh? 'It's not what it looks like' or it always has a complicated, hidden meaning that somehow justifies your actions in your own mind. Ya know what? I am sick of this shit! This was a mistake- it was a mistake to think that we could ever work together again," Miles said, angrily. He slung his pack over his shoulder again. "Come on, Charlie, let's go."

Charlie started to follow Miles but Bass grabbed her arm to stop her from walking away.

"Charlie, we need to talk," Bass said urgently.

"Right now, I don't have anything to say to you," Charlie said, pulling her arm from Bass' light grip and walking away.


	12. Chapter 12

Charlie silently followed Miles out of the woods as the sun was setting over the hills.

Miles was walking swiftly and Charlie was doing what she could to keep up with him.

"Can we just talk about this for a second?" Charlie said, walking beside Miles.

"What's there to talk about?" Miles huffed. "You're not a kid anymore, Charlie...I can't tell you what to do or who you can be with...I had just hoped to God that you would make better decisions."

"This whole thing has been really confusing from the start," Charlie replied. "I went to New Vegas intending to kill him...but then he saved my life."

Miles slowed down then, turning to look at Charlie and listening.

"We started working together when I found out that there were bounty hunters in Vegas looking for him. That's when he wanted to come and find you, so could warn you about the Patriots," Charlie continued.

"Was that before or after you started sleeping with him?" Miles retorted. Then he shook his head and turning to walk faster, "Never mind- don't tell me...I don't wanna know..."

The two continued walking in silence for a few moments.

"Was it true? About Monroe and my mom?" Charlie couldn't help but ask.

Miles sighed. "Unfortunately, yes...apparently, after I left Philadelphia, the two of them were spending time together and some things happened."

"How did you find out about it?" Charlie asked.

"Your mom told me a few months ago. I think she felt guilty about it...but Charlie, I honestly didn't know she was still in Philly. If I had known, I never would have left ...things had just gotten so out of control...Bass, he was just out of control back then..."

Charlie nodded in understanding.

Charlie shook her head. "Miles, you should know- he didn't force me into anything-"

"-Well, that's good- at least I don't have to immediately kill him then," Miles said wryly.

"If anything, I sort of initiated some of this-" Charlie said.

"Stop!" Miles said loudly. "I really don't wanna hear about this- how it happened, or why...not interested."

The two continued walking, the awkward tension slowly beginning to dissipate.

"Ya know, it's strange- when we were in New Vegas, I started seeing a different side to him, a gentler side," Charlie said.

"Yeah, that's the old Bass coming out," Miles agreed. "Even after you brought him here, he was acting in a way that I had not seen from him in years...he seemed lighter, happier...I honestly thought that part of Bass was gone...and I was trying to figure out if losing the Republic had actually helped him out...like losing the power had restored his humanity."

Charlie remained silent, listening as he continued.

"The tipping point for me was finding out that he had let you co-lead the mercenaries," Miles spoke up again after a moment. "That is completely unlike the Bass Monroe of the past fifteen years...hell, that would be rare for even Pre-2012 Bass."

Charlie spoke up, "Yeah, that was a bit of a surprise to me too."

"It means that he really trusts you," Miles replied, looking at Charlie.

Charlie nodded, feeling so conflicted about everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks. To think all of this had transpired over the course of a couple of weeks- it felt like so much more time had passed.

"Like I said, you aren't a kid anymore, Charlie," Miles said. "...and to think of you with Bass is completely odd and weird...but I won't judge or question it...but make no mistake, that doesn't mean that I want to see or hear anything about it either."

Charlie half-smirked.

"To be honest, I think it ended before it ever really began," Charlie replied. "There is so much about him that I don't even know, and the fact that he was with Mom...I just don't know if I can get past that."

Miles shook his head, understanding how Charlie felt. "To say that this situation is complicated would be a huge understatement, that's for sure- but it will ultimately be up to you to decide how you feel and what you should do...but Charlie, just be careful. I have known Bass a really long time...he is a pretty volatile guy."

"So I have noticed," Charlie replied quickly and Miles snapped to look at her. Charlie was quick to clarify. "He's never hurt me...if anything, he's always been really protective."

Miles nodded, starting to wonder himself if he was wrong in his assessment of Bass' involvement with Charlie.

"Even though this whole thing is a mess...he is right though- we can't do this alone- we need him and the mercenaries if we want to go up against the Patriots," Charlie stated.

Miles sighed again. "I know. Just let me be pissed off tonight...we can go back to the camp and talk to him tomorrow...but Charlie?"

Charlie looked at him questioningly.

"Under no circumstances does your mother find out about this..."

"Well, that goes without saying," Charlie responded as the two finished the walk up the road to the Porter home, just in time for darkness to settle over the land.


	13. Chapter 13

**The Next Morning**

Bass was at camp with the mercenaries, working to plan the next move. He knew that Miles had reacted emotionally to seeing him with Charlie, but Bass' trusted Miles' instincts that he would be come back to discuss their plans for the Patriots. He knew that Miles would see the big picture and that they needed to put their differences aside to work together and take down the Patriots,

Sure enough, by mid-morning, Bass could see Miles walking back toward the camp.

Bass could see that Miles was alone, Charlie had not come back with him.

There had been one question on Bass' mind the previous night when Charlie had found out about Bass' past with Rachel. _Would Charlie be able to look past this transgression?_ After all, in order to be with Bass, one would have to overlook _many_ transgressions...perhaps, this particular fact was just too much to deal with.

Bass wasn't even sure that he could blame her. Bass carried a lifetime of baggage and in the Pre-Blackout world, Bass would be an "old man" to Charlie. _An old man with a ton of baggage,_ Bass thought. Not exactly a great catch...

Miles approached Bass and for a split second, Bass was ready to defend himself in case Miles took a physical blow direction with all of this.

"So, I know things happened between you and Charlie...I don't really care to know more. We just need to focus on what has to be done to get rid of these sons of bitches who are trying to take over," Miles said tersely.

Bass only nodded, in full agreement. After all, his relationship with Charlie wasn't exactly on his top list of things to discuss with Miles...

The two spent the morning working with the mercenaries and Miles set a plan to talk with Blanchard, one of the former Texas Rangers.

"At some point, people are going to have to know that I'm here," Bass said.

"I know...we just need to get the right allies first," Miles replied.

 **One Month Later**

Things had been going smoothly in the fight against the Patriots.

Miles had managed to cut a deal with Blanchard and the Rangers for their alliance against the Patriots. He had also managed to convince the Rangers that Bass Monroe was of significant benefit to their alliance- a fact that minimized the risk of him being turned over to the Patriots.

Miles and Bass had forged their own truce, worked together, and with the mercenaries, had been able to eliminate several of the Patriots' strong holds.

Things with Bass and Charlie remained strained. Charlie had continued to work with the mercenaries alongside Miles and Bass, but she managed to keep her distance from Bass when it came to any personal matters. Bass never pushed the issue. Miles kept his word and stayed out of it, pretending he didn't hear Charlie sobbing in her room at night, when she thought everyone else was asleep.

Miles knew that any day, he was going to have to reveal Bass' presence to Rachel. They all agreed that he had put it off for as long as possible. He had been giving her excuses for where he was going, where he'd been, and he knew that it was getting old. Now that they were actually gaining ground against the Patriots, it made sense to let her in on the plan.

That evening, Miles and Charlie brought Rachel to the campsite. As soon as she saw Bass, she tried to grab Miles' gun, but he was too quick and stopped her.

"Mom," Charlie said, touching her shoulder. "He's been here helping us..."

"Charlie, you knew that he was here?" Rachel whirled around to confront Charlie. Charlie was silent.

"Listen, we knew this would be a delicate situation, for everyone," Miles said, placating Rachel.

"How long? How long has he been here?" Rachel said, glaring at Bass, who looked from her to Miles.

"A few weeks-" Miles said. "...but Rachel, he's on our side now. You gotta trust me on this."

Rachel shook her head. "I'm going back home. I don't know any of you..." the tone of disgust very evident in her voice.

She turned to walk away with Miles following quickly behind her. He threw a look over his shoulder and Bass only nodded.

Charlie stepped a little closer to Bass. "I think it will get easier - my mom just needs time."

"Yeah, Rachel's never been my fan but I figure Miles will be able to talk her out of killing me," Bass said, trying to border on humor.

Charlie only slightly smiled.

Bass studied Charlie, trying to figure out why she had stayed back. Every evening for weeks, she had arrived and left camp with Miles. Tonight, she stayed back.

"So, does this mean you're talking to me again?"

"I don't think I ever stopped talking to you," Charlie replied. "...after all, we have to work together. We are co-leading these men, right?"

"Right," Bass said, slight disappointment etched in his facial expression and then quickly cleared.

"Okay then," Charlie said. "I'll see you tomorrow." Charlie turned to leave when the words she heard next had her stopping in her tracks.

"I miss you."

Charlie stood with her back to Bass, closing her eyes and willing the tears not to fall.

She turned around and faced Bass, who was watching her with intensity reflecting in his blue eyes.

"I'm serious, Charlie. When I'm not with you, I want to be...and when I am with you, I am just wishing that things could be different."

"You mean because of what happened with my mom?" Charlie asked quietly.

"...because of all of it," Bass sighed, stepping closer to her. "I'm sorry for most of the things I have done over the past fifteen years, and yes, that incident is at the top of my regrets...but I can't change any of it now. Everything that has happened is in the past, but I can't undo any of it...and I understand if you can't get past that...I just - I think about you all of the time. It's driving me crazy."

At that moment, Bass let his emotions take over. He wrapped his arms around Charlie, pulling her to him and leaning down to kiss her.

Charlie also got swept in the moment, allowing him to embrace her and returning his kiss.

The two stood there for a few moments in the darkening night, with the firelight glowing nearby.

Charlie pulled away then.

"I- I can't do this...I'm sorry," Charlie said, turning to walk away.

Bass didn't try to go after her, just watching her go and wishing that there was something he could do to erase all of the regretful things he had done.

Charlie wiped the tears that were rapidly falling down her cheeks as she walked through the bank of trees and out to the road toward Willoughby.

 **The Next Morning**

Charlie woke up quickly, an overwhelming feeling of nausea hitting her full force. She leaped up from her bed and ran outside, where she promptly vomited in the side yard.

After a few moments, she came back inside and tried to lay back down, but it was no use. She continued to feel overwhelming nausea.

"What's wrong with you, are you ok?" Miles asked when he had passed by her room noticed her still lying there. Charlie was usually an early riser.

"Yes, I'll be okay- just feeling a little sick," Charlie replied.

Rachel walked in the doorway behind Miles. "Can I get you anything?" she asked gently.

"I don't think so...thanks, Mom..." Charlie responded.

Rachel nodded and walked back down the hallway.

"Mom seems a little better this morning. Is she still mad at all of us?" Charlie asked.

"I think she was more hurt that we were keeping things from her," Miles said. "...but I think she'll come around."

Miles watched Charlie for a second, almost as if he was going to say something else, but chose not to.

"When you're feeling up to it, Gene made some food- it's in the kitchen...I think maybe you should stay here today," Miles said.

"No, I am coming with you...I'll be fine," Charlie said, sitting up.

Miles looked a little reluctant, but finally nodded.

Bass could hear them arguing from outside of the campsite.

"You need to go back home, Charlie- Now!" Miles practically yelled.

"Miles, you don't get to tell me what to do!" Charlie shouted.

Bass had to stifle a grin. The argument sounded exactly like several that she and Bass had in New Vegas.

"What's wrong?" Bass said, walking toward them.

"She's sick - she shouldn't go today, but she's stubborn and won't listen," Miles sniped. Charlie glared at him.

Bass watched her with concern.

"You're sick...what's wrong?" Bass asked.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine," Charlie said, dismissively.

Miles rolled his eyes.

"She's been puking her guts up since she woke up this morning, including all the way here...it's disgusting and she needs to go home," Miles said.

"Miles is right, Charlie. You could be dehydrated. You need to go and rest...otherwise, if you're out here and not in top shape, you're a liability to yourself and the team," Bass replied.

Charlie glared at Miles and Bass but finally relented and went back to the Porter home.

Gene and Rachel were sitting at the table when Charlie walked back in.

"Your mom said you were sick this morning," Gene said, his voice filled with concern.

"Not you too," Charlie said. "Seriously, I am fine..."

"Mind if I do a quick exam?" Gene asked. "It can't hurt...plus, I can give you some remedies for the nausea."

Charlie shrugged, "I suppose so...it isn't like I am working today or anything."

"Follow me," Gene said and walked to his side room which doubled as his makeshift doctor's office.

Charlie sat down.

Gene performed the exam and little was said between the two.

"Well, your lymph glands don't appear to be swollen and you don't seem to be feverish. How has your appetite been lately?" Gene asked.

"Really good actually...seems like i am eating more than I normally do and I feel like some of my jeans are getting a little tight...I suppose I am eating more meat than I used to," Charlie joked.

Gene looked thoughtful for a moment as he was running through various scenarios for her symptoms.

"Okay, Charlie. You're my granddaughter, so this is a little awkward...but for a second, just think of me as a regular doctor..." Gene said.

Charlie looked at him, confused.

"Is there any chance that you could be pregnant?" Gene asked.


	14. Chapter 14

**Late Afternoon**

Charlie was in her room, enjoying the quiet and solitude. She had been pretty dismissive of Gene's earlier questions and acted like the idea of pregnancy wasn't even a possibility. Gene had looked extremely relieved by this information and quickly dropped the subject, much to Charlie's relief.

Her nausea had subsided as the day progressed, and she was now embracing her 'day off,' enjoying the opportunity to catch up on some reading.

A few moments later, that solitude was interrupted by a voice calling to her from downstairs.

"Charlie? You awake?"

Charlie walked to the top of the steps and could see Miles and Bass standing in the foyer.

Bass was the first one to notice her there.

"Hey," he greeted Charlie softly.

Charlie walked down the stairs to meet them.

"Hey kid, how ya feelin'?" Miles asked.

"Much better, thanks," Charlie replied with a small smile.

"Where's your mom?" Miles asked.

"She went to town with Grandpa to pick up some things from the street market," Charlie responded.

Bass only watched Charlie quietly, smiling when he saw that she looked much better off than she had been that morning.

"I took a nap and I really do feel fine now...maybe it was just something that I ate," Charlie said as a way to explain her symptoms.

"That's definitely possible- Bass isn't the greatest cook, even by campfire," Miles joked and Bass bumped his shoulder.

"Hey, I can heat up a mean can of beans, c'mon man," Bass said, before grinning. He turned his attention back to Charlie, his blue eyes shining.

"So, you're better now?" Bass turned to Charlie.

Charlie nodded in the affirmative.

"Okay, good," Bass replied.

The two just watched each other for a moment, trying to communicate with their looks what they couldn't convey with words.

This wasn't lost on Miles.

"Ahhh, c'mon," Miles said, rolling his eyes. "I told both of you...I don't want to see or hear _anything_...got it?"

"Miles, what are you talking about?" Bass said, exasperated. "There's nothing- it's nothing."

"He's right," Charlie said. "Nothing is going on."

"Well, I'm not blind," Miles said, shaking his head. "...and I already told you, keep whatever _this_ is, away from me."

"Keep what away from you?" - at that moment, Rachel had walked into the room and froze in her tracks at the sight of Bass Monroe in the foyer of her home.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Rachel asked coldly, glaring at Bass.

"He just wanted to come and check on Charlie," Miles said, his tone low and immediately back in "diffusion" mode; the diffusion tactics were pretty common for Miles now, particularly when Rachel was concerned.

"Mom, I thought you were with Grandpa," Charlie spoke up and Rachel turned to look at her.

"We just got back a few moments ago, came in through the backyard," Rachel replied.

"Rachel, I knew you would be angry that Bass came here with me...but the fact is, we can't do this without him and I think you need to come to terms with that," Miles continued.

"How can you even stand there and say that...with everything he has done?" Rachel said in a biting tone.

"Rachel, we've _all_ done things that we regret- it wasn't just him," Miles said.

"You know, I am actually more interested in what you were talking about when I came in here," Rachel said in a low tone.

Bass' eyebrows rose, looking quickly at Miles. Charlie closed her eyes, not sure of how to respond.

"Miles, you said to keep something away from you and that you didn't want to see or hear anything about it. What were you talking about?" Rachel said in an even tone that was almost frightening.

For the first time since she had met him, Charlie saw Miles look completely helpless. He was at a total loss on how to respond to Rachel.

Miles stood there quietly for a moment, until he threw his arms up- he was tired of lying to Rachel. "I got nothin'" - he looked from Charlie to Bass.

"Someone needs to tell me what the hell is going on right now," Rachel said, her tone cold and even, waiting for an explanation.

"He was talking about me," Charlie blurted out then and all eyes went to her.

"What? What was he saying about you, Charlie?" Rachel asked.

Charlie looked from Miles to Bass and then back to Rachel.

"He was talking about us," Bass sighed.

Rachel's eyes shot to Bass. He closed his eyes and then looked back at her again, ready for the onslaught.

"There was an ' _us_ '," Bass said, looking at Charlie and then back to Rachel.

Rachel looked stunned for a moment until she turned back to face Charlie. Her mood remained eerily even and stone cold.

"What...is he talking about, Charlie?" Rachel asked softly, her voice the complete opposite of what emotions she was currently experiencing. She was watching Charlie closely and searching for a sign that this was a joke or a misunderstanding.

Charlie looked at Miles who was shaking his head and looking at Bass like he had grown a third eye.

Charlie looked back at her mom. "Some things happened between me and Bass."

Miles and Bass both snapped to look at Charlie. This was the first time she had ever regarded him as 'Bass,' and not 'Monroe.'

Rachel narrowed her eyes and fixed her attention back on Bass.

"You son of a bitch, you just won't stop until you have destroyed my entire family," Rachel said, her tone now turning to anger.

"Mom, stop," Charlie stepped in.

Miles closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"Rachel- listen...nothing is going on now," Bass said. "It's over, okay?"

"Oh, it's over...is that supposed to make me feel better, Bass?" Rachel said tersely. "Is that supposed to somehow reconcile the fact that you slept with my daughter?!"

"- and is it okay that _you_ slept with him?!" Charlie blurted out.

Miles shook his head again, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. He was never one for drama and this was just getting out of hand.

Rachel's eyes shot back to Charlie. Then, she turned coldly to Bass.

"You told her about that?" she asked, looking at Bass, stunned.

"Actually, I did-" Miles interrupted. Rachel's eyes widened. "- it was kind of by accident, but yes, she obviously knows," Miles said flatly.

"So, Mom- you can stop with the self-righteous act," Charlie said. "You're ready to crucify Bass for all of the messed up things he has done when clearly, we all have skeletons in our closet."

By now, Rachel was seething- angry at all of them. She didn't have anything else. She just wanted to leave.

Rachel turned and quickly walked out of the room, down the hallway, and slammed her bedroom door.

The three of them stood in stunned silence when Gene entered the room a moment later.

He was carrying a small bowl and looked somewhat shell-shocked.

"Grandpa, are you alright?" Charlie asked, noting his expression and grew concerned.

"Charlie, we need to talk, privately," Gene said urgently.

"Gene, what is it?" Miles said, observing Gene's behavior and was beginning to grow concerned himself.

Gene only looked from Miles and directing his attention back to Charlie. "I need to talk to you now."

Gene ushered Charlie back to his 'doctor's office,' leaving Bass and Miles standing therein the foyer, dumbfounded.

"Hell of a day," Bass said flatly and Miles only nodded.

"Grandpa, you're scaring me," Charlie said, walking into the room as Gene shut the door.

"After your exam this morning, you gave me a urine sample so I could test for diabetes and rule out any infection," Gene began. "- those tests came out fine...but then, I remembered an old test to run with a urine sample and sugar."

Gene held the bowl in front of him where Charlie could see the contents.

"It looks clumped together," Charlie leaned over the bowl and observed. "...I don't get it."

"The sugar should have dissolved, like it would in hot water...but the presence of the HCG hormone in urine will prevent sugar from dissolving," Gene said hurriedly, clearly rattled by this discovery.

"HCG?" Charlie asked weakly.

"Yes, HCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy...Charlie, you're pregnant."


	15. Chapter 15

Charlie just sat in silence, Gene's words ringing in her ears.

Gene only watched her for a moment, searching for a sign of acknowledgment. "Charlie. Did you hear what I said?"

Charlie only nodded, not looking up from the ground.

"Is - could- is there a way that the test result could be a mistake?" Charlie finally asked.

Gene shook his head. "Possible? Perhaps, but not probable...if anything, I have learned that these older methods are more effective than the old drug store pregnancy tests. I would say it is 99% accurate, Charlie."

Charlie closed her eyes, silently nodding to show her understanding.

Gene put a hand on her shoulder. "I am not going to ask about the Father since you clearly don't want to talk about it...but since he isn't in the picture, just know that you can still do this- you have support. Many women have given birth successfully since the Blackout...you can have this baby...you are not alone-"

Gene had only assumed that she had gotten pregnant during a random encounter while on the road. He had no clue that the man was still in her life, much less that he was Sebastian Monroe.

Charlie stood up suddenly. "Grandpa, you have to promise me something. For now, this has to stay between us."

Gene looked confused. "Charlie...why? You don't even want your mother to know?"

Charlie's eyes widened. "No! Especially not her- at least, not right now...I just need some time. So, please Grandpa, promise me. Until I am ready, we tell no one."

Gene was silent for a moment but finally consented. "Alright, if that is what you want...but you have to promise to let me do regular check-ups to make sure everything appears to be on track."

Charlie nodded in agreement and with that she opened the door, exited the room, and walked back down the hallway.

Bass and Miles were still standing in the living room. Both looked at her expectedly, something that threw Charlie off.

"What?" she asked, startled.

"Is everything ok?" Miles asked. "Gene came in here looking really spooked and apparently needed to talk to you about something important."

Charlie nodded, dismissively. "Oh, yeah- I'm fine. Grandpa was just being dramatic. My blood sugar was a little off on his test, but I think it was just something I ate...everything is fine."

Charlie looked over at Bass who only watched her, not appearing to be convinced by her statement.

"You sure? You're ok?" Bass asked, looking at Charlie. She found that she had a hard time looking him in the eyes as she replied that she was fine.

Charlie absolutely hated lying, especially to Bass...but for now, she needed some time to process everything that was happening and how their lives were all getting ready to drastically change.

* * *

"I don't buy it," Bass finally spoke up to Miles when they were alone, heading back to the campsite later that evening.

"-Don't buy what?" Miles asked.

"Charlie- blood sugar? Come on, that's BS," Bass replied. "Something else is going on..."

"Don't you think that she would tell us? I mean, at least me?" Miles smirked and Bass rolled his eyes in response.

"I don't know, man but Charlie tries to put on this act like she doesn't need anyone's help, maybe she is scared that whatever it is would make her look more vulnerable," Bass replied.

Miles shook his head. "I think you're just being dramatic- I think she's fine..."

Bass continued walking silently- he was not convinced.

* * *

The next week passed in a flurry of activity. Bass and Miles were leading the mercenaries and managed to eliminate several Patriot strongholds. They were quickly gaining ground. For the most part, Charlie had managed to keep herself busy and out of the line of fire. She had been opting to help her mom and work at the campsite over the past few days. These circumstances wouldn't have seemed out of place except for the fact that she seemed to be deliberately staying out of the battle zones now, something that was not lost on Bass or Miles. They had enough men out there that it wasn't an issue, but Charlie had never been one to shy away from the action, so what had changed?

Charlie had continued to keep her distance from Bass. While this bothered him, he had done his best to respect her feelings and he didn't argue, instead keeping himself busy with the mercenaries and their near daily run-ins with Patriots troops.

Charlie knew that she cared for Bass, but the discovery of him and her mother had sent her reeling. Pairing that with her own discovery that she was now carrying his child were proving to be mentally taxing on Charlie and she was just trying to take time to sort out her feelings.

"I'm telling you, Miles...I think she's sick- have you talked to her yet?" Bass asked in a grim tone. The two were down at the river, cleaning their swords after a particularly rough battle with one of the Patriot troops.

Miles only nodded- he couldn't dispute the change in Charlie's behavior. It had all started so abruptly with Gene's urgent meeting with Charlie and his initial look of deep concern.

"Not yet...I'm just trying to give her some space. Charlie and I - we don't really do the 'warm and fuzzy' thing... if she wants to talk to me about something, she will. I think if she was really sick, Gene would have told us...he apparently knows something," Miles replied.

* * *

One morning later that week, Charlie noticed that her jeans were getting tighter and the swell around her midsection was getting harder to hide. She had traded her 'belly shirts' for looser fitting shirts that she had found in a closet in Gene's house. She had only occasionally had bouts of nausea but was no longer getting physically ill.

Downstairs, she heard a door slam and Miles voice calling through the house.

"Gene! Gene!" Miles called.

Charlie heard Gene walk into the foyer from the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Miles?" Gene could hear the urgency in Miles' voice. Charlie could hear it as well and quickly walked down the stairs.

"Gene, I need you to come with me- I need your help," Miles said quickly, trying to avoid making eye contact with Charlie.

"Miles, what is it- what's wrong?" Charlie asked.

Miles sighed, only briefly looking over at Charlie.

"It's Monroe- the Patriots got him..."


End file.
